SPECIAL EVENTS

                 SWAPS AND GATHERINGS...
                Throughout the year, the club participates in various rock swaps, picnics, and                             gatherings with other clubs.

Here members and friends are looking over specimens and getting ready to do some serious swapping and bargaining.

                FEDERATION COMPETITION...
                The club participates in competitive events sponsored by the federations.

	One of our junior members entered an article he wrote into the Midwest Federation Bulletin Editors' Contest and took first place at both the regional and national levels.

                    FUND-RAISING PROJECTS...
                    LOESS has held fund-raisers and set aside funds for special,                                                         educationally-oriented projects.

We had club t-shirts made and sold them to the membership. The profit from these sales was sent to the Smithsonian Institution to support the construction of their new Hall of Gems.

When LOESS learned that the Illinois State Museum did not have their own specimen of the Illinois state fossil, the Tully Monster, but simply one on loan, the club undertook a search for a museum-quality specimen. It took a while to locate one that was worthy of inclusion into the Museum's permanent collection, but we finally found one, purchased it, and donated it to the Museum.

                ANNUAL BEST FINDS/CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION...
                      LOESS members love healthy competition and a chance to brag about their "best                       finds" of the year. Each December for the past five years, we have held a                                   competition. Members bring in what they consider to be their best finds of the                           year in several different categories; mineral, fossil, lapidary project, artifact, etc.                       Members then vote to select the best. A trophy placque with the winner's name is                       presented to the lucky collector, and he/she gets to display that placque at home                       until the next year's contest.

Members view the specimens carefully before filling out their ballots.

All that serious contemplation brings on a hearty appetite. The balance of the evening includes our Christmas potluck followed by games and good fellowship.

                    ANNUAL GEM, MINERAL, AND FOSSIL SHOW...
                   For the last five years, LOESS has hosted a Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show held in                    the Illinois Building on the Illinois State Fairgrounds. It is a celebration of our                            hobby and a chance to let the general public in our area know about the things that                    are important to us.

Flyers advertise this a Show.

Visitors are greeted with a smile as they enter, and they are given the opportunity to register to win a door prize.

Our Spin and Win game encourages juniors to begin their own collections by taking a spin and winning a specimen.

There are no "blue light specials," but plenty of bargains can be had at the Silent Auction tables. Anyone can write down a bid on any item. The last bid listed when the bell goes off, is the bid that takes the specimen.

Our show is about members meeting people and making new friends as visitors come through and stop to ask questions and chat. But it is also about bringing old friends together for a special time of sharing their hobby.

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